Cardiac Bears Outlast Buffaloes 59-56 in 2 OT …

…

Cal Kicker James Langford booted a 34 yard field goal yesterday in the game’s second overtime to give the Golden Bears a hard-fought and heart-thumping 59-56 win over the visiting Colorado Buffaloes  …

K James Langford Boots Game-Winning Field Goal in 2nd OT

… it was the second week in a row that the Cal game was decided on its final play, coming on the heels of the heart-breaking 49-45 loss to
Arizona … the Bears improved to 3-1.

QB Jared Goff passed for 449 yards and 7 touchdowns …

QB Jared Goff Passed for 449 Yards and 7 Touchdowns

… including a Cal record 92 yarder to RB Daniel Lasco and a 75 yard bomb to WR Stephen Anderson … the 92 yard pass play was the longest in Cal football history … Lasco also had 108 yards rushing on 18 carries to pace the Cal running game.

Daniel Lasco Sprints Toward Goal Line on 92 Yard Pass Reception

Despite giving up 629 yards and 39 first downs to the Buffs, the Cal defense came up big when really needed … Colorado had the ball first in the second overtime and moved to a first down and goal at the Cal 2 yard line … at which point the Bears defense came up with four straight stops to deny Colorado a score and set up Langford’s heroics.

Cal’s Defense Stops Colorado on 4th & Goal from the 1 in 2nd OT

The Bears racked up 576 yards in total offense … 127 rushing and 449 passing … recorded 24 first downs … and came back from a  28-14 halftime deficit with 21 third quarter points.

The win broke a 15 game Pac-12 losing streak for the Bears … and marked Cal as one of the most improved team in college football this year.  For his performance, Goff was named the National Offensive Player of the Week.

Offensive Player of the Week Jared Goff Passing from his own Endzone

Cal plays the Washington State Cougars next Saturday in Pullman (7:30 pm pdt, TV on Pac-12 Network) … and returns home the following week to host the Washington Huskies (time TBA).

…

More game photos …

Cal Student Section Before the Game

Cal Band Pregame Show

Cal Band Great!

Daniel Lasco Hammers Out Some Tough 1st Quarter Yardage

Bears on Pass Defense

Cal Defense Brings Down Colorado’s QB

Punter Cole Leininger Boots One

Khalfani Muhammad Returns a Kickoff from the Endzone

Offensive Line Protecting Goff in the Pocket

Kicker James Langford Kicking Off

Daniel Lasco Breaks Into the Open

Bears on Defense

Celebrating a Bears Touchdown

WR Bryce Treggs Catches 25 Yard TD Pass in 1st OT

Bears Win 59-56!

…

All Photos in this blog Copyright 2014 Jim Reilly

…

For game stats and additional photos,see the official Cal Bears football website:

http://www.calbears.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=30100&SPID=126513&SPSID=749425

or

ESPN’s California Golden Bears Page at:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/_/id/25/california-golden-bears

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Bears Kabam Sac State …

…

The California Golden Bears played their first game on their newly designated home field …

… this past Saturday … and recorded a solid 55-14 win over the visiting Sacramento State Hornets.

The victory enabled the 2014 Bears to double their 2013 win total … and gave them a 2-0 start for the first time since 2011.

Through a business association of Doug’s, Candy & I, and Doug & Matt, were privileged to watch the game from the Kabam sponsor’s suite …

… from which we had a great view of the game …

… and enjoyed the hospitality of both the stadium staff and the Kabam folks in attendance.

The Bears racked up 579 yards in total offense … 253 rushing and 326 passing … recorded 26 first downs … and blew the game open early with 28 first quarter points.

At the end of the first quarter, the University recognized the Kabam Field sponsorship with an onfield ceremony …

… and presentation of a framed Cal No. 1 jersey.

…

With the game well in hand, three Bears QBs saw playing time …

QB Jared Goff Passing

#2 QB Luke Rubenzer runs in for a TD

#3 QB Austin Hinder Passing

The 55 points on offense was Cal’s highest scoring output since they scored 63 against Presbyterian at AT&T Park in 2011 … and the 14 point defensive effort was the Bears’ best since they held Oregon State to 6 points, also in 2011.

Cal has a week 3 bye, then travels to Tucson on Saturday, September 20th, for a 7:00 pm game against the Arizona Wildcats.

Premier Partnerships worked on behalf of Cal Athletics to locate a naming partner … which led to the agreement with Kabam, Inc., and the sponsorship of Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadium.

Kabam Field Presentation

Left to Right:

Bob Lalanne – UC Vice Chancellor of Real Estate (Cal ’78) …

Solly Fulp – Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Director of Cal Athletics …

H. Michael Williams – Interim Athletic Director (Cal ’82 and Cal Bears wrestler) …

Kevin Chou – co-founder and CEO of Kabam (Cal ’02) …

Holly Liu – co-founder and Chief of Staff of Kabam (Cal ’03) …

Chris Carvalho – Kabam Executive Advisor & former COO …

Jeff Marks – Managing Director of Premier Partnerships (Cal ’94) …

and Jesse Ryback – Premier Partnerships Director of Business Partnerships.

…

Cal Band Great!

Golden Bears Take the Field

…

Golden Bears on Offense 1st Quarter

WRs Chris Harper & Bryce Treggs Line Up

WR Darius Powe Scores on a 60 yard TD Pass

Cal Bears on Offense

QB Jared Goff Going Deep

RB Khalfani Muhammad Runs Toward the Goal Line

Game Action on Kabam Logo

K James Langford Lines up for 2nd Quarter 33 Yard Field Goal

Cal Band Halftime Show

Matt & Doug Reilly and Candy Davis in the Kabam Suite

QB Jared Goff Passing in the 3rd Quarter

Bears final Kabam on TD Catch by WR Chris Harper

Kabam Logo on South End Scoreboard at Start of 4th Quarter

Watching the Game from the Kabam Suite

One of Only 2 Punts in the Game by Cal P Cole Leininger

Kabam Logos on Student Section

Bears Win 55-14

…

For game stats and additional photos,see the official Cal Bears football website:

http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30100&ATCLID=209637348

Cal @ Stanford … … Bears Axe’d by the Tree …

…

… Cal @ Stanford …

… Bears Axe’d by the Tree …

…

… 63-13 in the 2013 BIG GAME …

… ’nuff said …

…

… well, maybe not!  😉 …

… can’t help wondering why a team that used to be called the Indians and has an axe for a symbol …

… which sorta made sense in the old days …

… is now called the Cardinal (the color, not the bird) … and has a tree for its “mascot” …

… particularly since an axe would typically be used to chop down a tree …

… but have to admit that they beat the snot out of the Bears … so I guess they can call themselves whatever they like.

…

… Wood Chips …

Cal was never in this game, falling behind … as usual … 21-7 in the first quarter … and 42-13 by halftime …

… Stanford’s Ty Montgomery had a monster game … he scored five touchdowns … one on a 31 yard run to open the scoring … and 4 on TD pass receptions (50, 12, 72 and 9 yards) …

… this was the fourth straight Big Game win for the Cardinal … which now leads the all-time series 59-46-11 …

… 63 points is the most ever scored by either team in a Big Game …

… and Stanford’s 42 first half points is the most ever scored in a half.

…

… Bears in Hibernation …

The Bears finished the season with their worst ever record (1-11) and went winless in the Pac-12 (0-9) …

… all in all … there wasn’t much good to be said about either the game or the season …

QB Jared Goff Passing

… QB Jared Goff set an all-time Cal single season passing record with 3508 yards …

… WR Bryce Treggs finished the season with 77 receptions, 4th on Cal’s all-time single season receiving list …

… K Vincenzo D’Amato had two field goals, giving him 17 of 20 for the year … with a total of 82 points scored.

On the other hand … Cal surrendered an all-time worst 551 points on defense … an abysmal 45.9 ppg … while scoring just barely half as many (276 & 23.0 ppg) …

… the defensive performance was hampered by the fact that players on its two-deep defensive chart missed 138 games this year … including 73 missed games by projected starters …

… in other words, on average, the starting defense had 6 missing players in each game! …

… tough to play good defense with more than half of the starting team out of the game.

…

… the Bears in 2014 …

QB Jared Goff had successful surgery on his shoulder and should be fully recovered by next year …

… the defensive two-deep loses only three players and just one starter …

… so a lot of young players with a considerable experience will be returning in 2014 …

… virtually the entire offense returns as well, including a talented corps of young receivers …

… and all of the team’s top running backs.

…

… Game Reports …

… stats and photos are available on ESPN:

http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?id=333270024

…

… and the official Cal Bears website:

http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30100&ATCLID=209322625

…

The BCS and other college football poll rankings are here:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/rankings/_/week/13

…

GO BEARS!

Cal Band Pregame Show on the Scoreboard

Cheerleaders

Khalfani Muhammad Returning a Kickoff

Khalfani Muhammad Barely Tripped Up

Protecting the QB

HB Brendan Bigelow

HB Daniel Lasco

HB Khalfani Muhammad

QB Zach Kline Passing

Leading Cheers

All Photos in this blog © 2013 Jim Reilly

Cal @ Colorado … Bears Buffalo’d by Colorado …

…

… Cal @ Colorado …

…

… Bears Buffalo’d by Colorado …

“In a year that has been improbably bad, the impossibly bad has happened.” (with apologies to Vin Scully) …

… and Cal lost the battle of the Pac-12 cellar-dwellers 41-24 to the Colorado Buffaloes …

… marking this as the nadir of an already extraordinarily disappointing and depressing season for the Bears.

…

… Buffalo Chips …

Colorado broke open a close game (10-10 halfway through the second quarter) by scoring twice in less than two minutes near the end of the first half …

… first the Buffs drove 75 yards in 10 plays, scoring on a 10 yard pass with 2:36 to play in the half …

… and then disaster struck the Bears as a squibbed kickoff was fumbled by Darius Powe and recovered by Colorado at the Cal 49 yard line …

… after which Colorado drove the 49 yards in 8 plays to take a 24-10 lead into the locker room …

… this drive was helped out by another Bears bug-a-boo, a 3rd & 12 roughing the passer penalty on DL Dan Camporeale which gave the Buffaloes a first down at the Cal 11 yard line.

…

In the 3rd quarter, the Bears failed to capitalize on a rare takeaway …

… LB Jalen Jefferson intercepted a pass at the Colorado 38, but four passes by QB Jared Goff gained the Bears just 3 yards, with Cal turning the ball over on downs.

A Colorado field goal late in the quarter made the score 27-10 going into the final period …

… during which each team scored twice …

… though Colorado did so twice in spectacular fashion while the Bears ground out two long touchdown drives.

On the 2nd play after a Cal punt, the Buffaloes scored on a 63 yard touchdown pass …

… after which the Bears drove 52 yards and scored on a 1 yard run by HB Brendan Bigelow …

… setting up an extraordinary Colorado response …

… as K Vince D’Amato attempted a trick onsides kick to the weak side of the Colorado formation …

… only to have Colorado’s Will Oliver grab the ball at the Cal 46 and run untouched straight down the field for a nut-crushing touchdown.

…

… a few (very few) Bears bright spots …

The return to something approaching his 2012 promise for Bigelow, who rushed for 107 yards on 15 carries …

… for Cal’s first 100 yard rushing game of the season …

… with HB Khalfani Mohammad adding 78 yards on 10 carries and the team recording 197 yards on 34 total carries …

… and WR Kenny Lawler continued his late season surge with 6 receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown.

Otherwise, Cal fans had little to cheer for, as the Bears became the sole Pac-12 team without a conference win in 2013.

…

… Game Reports …

… stats and photos are available on ESPN:

http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=333200038

…

… and the official Cal Bears website:

http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30100&ATCLID=209311515…

…

The BCS and other college football poll rankings are here:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/rankings

 …

… Next Up …

… Cal travels to Palo Alto for the 116th Big Game against

the BCS 9th ranked Stanford Cardinal…

… with an 1:00 pst kickoff …

… Stanford is 8-2 overall and 6-2 in Pac-12 play …

… and is a prohibitive 31 1/2 point favorite over the Bears …

… the biggest spread ever in the long-running rivalry.

Cal fans are hoping for a Joe Kapp style upset win …

… like that recorded in the 1986 Big Game, in which the 1-9 Bears beat the 21 point favorite 6-3 Cardinal 17-11 in Kapp’s last game as the team’s coach …

… with QB Kevin Brown running the offense in his only start of the season (starting QB Troy Taylor having been injured in Cal’s previous game) …

… and the Bears scoring what is generally considered the biggest upset in Big Game history.

…

Cal v. USC … There was Nothing Special …

…

… Cal v. USC …

… There was Nothing Special …

… about the Cal special teams against USC, as the Trojans returned three Bears punts for touchdowns, keying a 62-28 USC triumph.

…

Knowing in advance that Cal would rack up 195 yards rushing & 483 yards in total offense …

… while recording 30 first downs to 20 for USC …

… running 96 plays to just 51 for the Trojans …

… and controlling the ball for 33:03 to 26:57 …

… would have convinced most fans that the Bears would come out on top.

…

Big plays, however, did in the Bears, as the Trojans scored on punt return TDs of 75 and 93 yards …

… and scored on a 3rd punt return TD when the kick hit the back of a Cal blocker, popped straight up in the air, was grabbed by a USC defender and returned just 14 yards into the endzone.
…

USC also scored on runs of 43, 79 and 37 yards …

… as well as a pass of 57 yards …

… and had non-scoring passes of 26 and 44 yards …

… meaning that the Trojans had 286 of their 493 total yards on just 6 plays …

… and that 6 of their 9 touchdowns were recorded on plays that averaged 64 yards each!

…

… Bears Highlights …

There were a few bright spots for the Bears, the most important of which was that the team never gave up, despite the apparent ease with which the Trojans rang up points …

… while Freshman QB Jared Goff was 34 of 48 passing for 255 yards and 3 touchdowns …

QB Jared Goff

… Freshman WR Kenny Lawler had another good game, with 6 receptions for 54 yards and 2 touchdowns …

WR Kenny Lawler TD

… Freshman RB Khalfani Muhammad gained 61 yards rushing on 10 carries, with 1 touchdown …

HB Khalfani Muhammad

… Sophomore WR Bryce Treggs had 8 catches for 39 yards …

WR Bryce Treggs

… Freshman RB Jeffrey Coprich gained 55 yards on 10 carries …

HB Jeffrey Coprich

… and Freshman RB Jonah Hodges saw his first action of the year, gaining 31 yards on 4 carries.

HB Jonah Hodges

…

Cal was paced on defense …

… by Freshman LB Michael Barton, who had 9 tackles and 1 sack …

… while Junior S Michael Lowe had 8 tackles, Sophomore LB Jalen Jefferson 5 …

… and Freshman CB Cameron Walker, Junior CB Kameron Jackson, Junior DL Viliami Moala and Freshman LB Hardy Nickerson had 4 each.

…

… Game Reports …

… stats and photos are available on ESPN:

http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=333130025

…

… and the official Cal Bears website:

http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30100&ATCLID=209304076

…

The BCS and other college football poll rankings are here:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/rankings

 …

… Next Up …

… Cal travels to Boulder to play the Colorado Buffaloes …

… with an 2:30 pst, 3:30 cst kickoff next Saturday…

… the Buffaloes are 3-6 overall and 0-6 in Pac-12 play …

… they are in last place in the Pac-12 South, while the Bears occupy the cellar of the Pac-12 North …

… making this the best chance for each team to record a Pac-12 win this year.

…

GO BEARS!

———-

Student Section

Cal Cannon

Cal Band Great

“… and the home of the BEARS!”

Great Balance!

Bears Fan!

P Cole Leininger

CB Cedric Dozier Deflects a Pass

HB Khalfani Muhammad 7 yard TD Run

QB Zach Kline

Tightwad Hill

USC 62 — Cal 28

All Photos in this blog © 2013 Jim Reilly

 

Cal v. Arizona … Close only Counts in Horseshoes … and Hand Grenades …

…

… Cal v. Arizona …

Close only counts in horseshoes …

… and the Bears were playing football, so fell to their 8th loss of the season, bested by the Wildcats 33-28 …

… in a game that had more than its share of “what could have beens” …

… Cal scored with 3:34 to play in the 3rd quarter to make the score 26-21 …

… then forced a Wildcats punt, raising the hopes of Bears fans …

… only to dash those hopes when QB Jared Goff threw an interception that was returned to the Cal 27 yard line.

The Wildcats capitalized on this largesse, taking just four plays to score a touchdown, increasing their lead to 33-21 …

… after which the Bears marched to the Arizona 20 yard line …

… only to have Goff throw another pick, this one in the Wildcats end zone.

…

… and hand grenades …

After an exchange of punts, the Bears once again raised the hopes of their fans, smartly driving 80 yards in just 7 plays to make the score 33-28 …

… but the subsequent onsides kick was covered by the Wildcats, who then ran the clock out to preserve their victory.

…

Bears Highlights …

… Freshman WR Kenny Lawler had three touchdown receptions (the first three TDs of his career) covering 17, 3 and 29 yards …

WR Kenny Lawler …

… Scores the 1st of his 3 TDs

… two of which came on spectacular catches …

… and HB Daniel Lasco returned to action with 71 yards on 12 carries, including a long of 22 yards.

HB Daniel Lasco Bursts Upfield

Freshman CB Cameron Walker led the Bears with 13 total tackles, 9 of them solo stops.

CB Cameron Walker #14 Closes in on Tackle

…

 … Game Reports …

… stats and photos are available on ESPN:

http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?id=333060025

… and the official Cal Bears website:

http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30100&ATCLID=209297167…

The BCS and other college football poll rankings are here:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/rankings

…

… Next Up …

… Cal hosts the USC Trojans …

… with an 12:00 pm Saturday kickoff…

… the Bears are 17 point underdogs this week, but the 6-3 Trojans have had a tumultuous up & down season …

… so if Cal catches the Trojans on a letdown after their big win last week over Oregon State, the Bears just might have a shot at their first win over USC since their 2003 triple overtime 34-31 win at Memorial Stadium.

…GO BEARS!

—————————

Cal Band Pregame Show

Small Crowd in Student Section at Kickoff

Presenting the Colors

O-Line Protecting QB Jared Goff

HB Khalfani Muhammad 1st Quarter TD Reception

QB Jared Goff Passing

P Cole Leininger

Bears on Defense

DL Kyle Kragen #13 Tackles Arizona’s QB

DL Kyle Kragen #13 and LB Hardy Nickerson #47 Chasing Down Arizona’s QB

Hiding Offensive Signals from the Wildcats

Bears Fall Short 33-28

All Photos in this blog © 2013 Jim Reilly

Cal @ Washington … Bears Mauled by Dogs …

…

… Cal @Washington …

The Huskies …

… mauled …

… the Bears 41-17 at Husky Stadium, leaving Cal at 0-5 in the Pac-12 and 1-7 on the season …

… once again, the Bears were doomed by a slow start, as they fell behind 17-0 before getting on the scoreboard themselves …

… thus continuing a season-long pattern of first quarter struggles.

Although the defense showed signs of improvement, big plays once again plagued the Bears …

… with the Huskies scoring on a 59 yard run and passes of 68 and 47 yards …

… and also completing non-scoring passes for 25, 21 and 21 yards …

… while HB Bishop Sankey had 241 yards rushing on 27 carries, averaging 8.9 yards per carry and scoring 2 touchdowns.

Washington finished the game with 642 yards in total offense and averaged 8.2 yards per play from scrimmage, while recording 24 first downs …

… to 483 yards (5.5 per play) and 21 first downs for the Bears.

…

There were a few Cal highlights …

… HB Khalfani Muhammad busted a 73 yard TD run, the longest of the season for the Bears ….

… QB Jared Goff was 32 of 54 for 336 yards passing, with 1 TD …

… WR Bryce Treggs had 8 receptions for 95 yards, with a long of 32 yards …

… and WR Chris Harper had 6 catches for 98 yards, including a 5 yard TD and a long of 49 yards.

…

 … GAME REPORTS …

… stats and photos are available on ESPN:

http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?id=332990264

…

… and the official Cal Bears website:

http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30100&ATCLID=209292812…

…

The BCS and other college football poll rankings are here:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/rankings

…

… NEXT UP …

… Cal hosts the Arizona Wildcats …

… with an 12:30 pm Saturday kickoff…

… the Bears are 14 1/2 point underdogs this week, but this is a winnable game.

…

GO BEARS!

Cal v. Oregon State … … Dammed … & Chewed …

…

… Cal v. Oregon State …

The Beavers …

… Dammed …

… up Cal’s offense, holding the Bears to 3 points for more than 40 minutes …

… motivating the benching of starting QB Jared Goff in favor of Zach Kline …

… and igniting the first embers of a QB controversy in Berkeley …

… Cal managed just 366 yards in total offense and 19 first downs …

… and trailed 28-3 at the half and 35-3 early in the 3rd quarter …

… Goff was 21 of 31 for 221 yards passing, but the running game was anemic, and the Bears turned the ball over four times (1 pick, 2 lost fumbles and once on downs) …

Jared Goff Passing from Deep in Cal Territory

… Kline came on to take advantage of some loose chinks in the dam …

Zach Kline Scrambles for 15 Yards

… leading the Bears on two long touchdown drives (88 and 65 yards), but they came after the matter was settled …

… and were the definition of too little, too late.

…

… & chewed …

… their way through the beleaguered Cal defense …

… racking up 570 yards in total offense and 31 first downs …

… OSU QB Sean Mannion was 35 of 45 for 481 yards passing, with 2 touchdowns …

… and during one stretch completed 21 passes in a row despite occasional pass rush pressure…

DE Puka Lopa Closes in on OSU QB Sean Mannion

… while his team averaged 7.7 yards per play from scrimmage to just 4.8 yards per play for Cal …

… and the Beavers prevailed 49-17.

…

… GAME REPORTS …

… stats and additional photos are available on ESPN:

http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?id=332920025

…

… and the official Cal Bears website:

http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30100&ATCLID=209288018…

…

… GAME REPORTS …

Although Cal’s Week 1 opponent, Northwestern, has dropped out of the Top 25, the Bears have still played four teams that are now ranked in the Top 25 of the first BCS poll …

…  #3 Oregon, #4 Ohio State, #12 UCLA and #25 Oregon State …

… and those four teams currently have a combined record of 25-2! …

… while Cal’s other three opponents are a combined 12-12 and only one (Portland State at 3-4) has a losing record.

…

The BCS and other poll rankings are here:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/rankings

…

… NEXT UP …

… Cal visits the Washington Huskies …

… in Seattle … with an 8:00 pm Saturday evening kickoff … and the game will be televised on Fox Sports 1 …

… the Bears are 23 point underdogs in this one.

…

Head Coach Sonny Dykes quelled the budding QB controversy on Friday …

… announcing that Jared Goff will once again start for California.

…

GO BEARS!

…

… More CAL-OSU photos:

Game Day was Joe Starkey’s Birthday.

Khalfani Muhammad Cuts Left on Kickoff Return

K Vincenzo D’Amato Puts 3 on the Board

P Cole Leininger

Jared Goff Tirggers the Bear Raid

WR Bryce Treggs Avoids a Tackle

All Photos in this blog © 2013 Jim Reilly

Cal @ UCLA … Battered … & Bruined …

…

… still running a bit behind, so just getting to writing up …

… Cal @ UCLA …

…

… BATTERED …

… despite missing more than half of its projected starters, Cal’s defense gamely stood up to UCLA’s potent offense …

… holding the Bruins to 74 yards less and 11 points less than their season averages entering the game …

… but that still meant that the Baby Bears gained 488 yards in total offense and scored 37 points …

… to pace a 37-10 UCLA victory.

Once again, the Bears got behind early, trailing 17-0 early in the 2nd quarter …

… before closing the gap to 17-10 with 2:35 to play in the half.

…

… and BRUINED …

… UCLA, however, used just 1:50 of that time to drive 73 yards in 8 plays and scored on a 27 yard pass to make the score 24-10 at the half.

Despite controlling the ball for 16:02 of the second half, the Bears could not score again …

… as they turned the ball over on an interception, a fumble and once on downs, while having to punt twice …

… while the Bruins managed to add two more field goals and another touchdown pass to make the final score 37-10.

UCLA’s defense held QB Jared Goff in check …

… as he managed just 215 yards passing on 16 of 43 with one interception and 3 sacks …

… and a long gain of just 23 yards …

… while UCLA had 410 yards passing, with 3 touchdowns and 3 completions longer than 30 yards.

…

… Game Reports …

… stats and additional photos are available on ESPN:

http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?id=332850026

… and the official Cal Bears website:

http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30100&ATCLID=209282592

…

… Mid-Season Bears Review …

… matching the 2nd youngest team in the country with college football’s 3rd most difficult schedule has proved daunting for the Bears …

… while injuries have made a difficult situation even worse …

… Cal has already played four Top 25 teams (#22 Northwestern, #3 Ohio State, #2 Oregon and #11 UCLA) …

… and those four teams currently have a combined record of 25-4!

My pre-season optimism (6 wins) now appears doomed to disappointment, as the Bears are likely to be underdogs against all of their remaining opponents except for Colorado …

… nevertheless, there is reason for some optimism …

… as USC looks vulnerable and you never know what will happen in The Big Game.

…

… Next Up …

… Cal hosts the Oregon State Beavers …

… at Memorial Stadium at 7:30 Saturday evening …

… with the Bears an 11 point underdog.

This game will feature two of the country’s leading passers, Cal’s Jared Goff and OSU’s Sean Mannion …

… Goff is 4th in the country in passing yards per game at 339.3 …

… while Mannion is 1st at 418.5 ypg.

Interestingly, the fathers of both QBs attended the same high school (San Rafael HS in Marin County), where Jerry Goff was a senior when John Mannion was a freshman.

GO BEARS!

Cal v. Washington State … Highlights … Lowlights … and No Lights …

…

… running a bit behind … sorta like Cal’s defense … but, it’s been a busy week … and the subject is so depressing …

… however, with the next game up this evening, I figured I’d better get this done tonight … so here goes …

… Cal v. Washington State …

…

… HIGHLIGHTS …

… QB Jared Goff continues to impress …

QB Jared Goff Surveying the Field

… hitting 35 of 59 passes for an all-time Cal record 504 yards passing …

… one yard more than Pat Barnes had in a quadruple overtime win over Arizona in 1996 …

… Goff now has three games in which he has passed for more than 400 yards … considerably more … 450 … 485 … and 504 …

… only one other Pac-12 QB (Arizona State’s Andrew Walter) ever has had three passing games of 450 yards or more …

… and no other Cal QB has ever had three 400+ yard passing games …

… and Goff has them just five games into his freshman season!

… the new offensive system … Bear Raid! … is partially responsible … but Goff is running it like an experienced college quarterback rather than a freshman with just five games under his belt …

… WR Chris Harper also had a big game …

WR Chris Harper Makes Another Catch

… with career highs of 14 receptions and 231 yards …

… he is only the 5th Cal receiver to have more than 200 yards in a game …

… and the totals put him at #3 on the all-time single game lists for both receptions and yards.

…

… LOWLIGHTS …

… the struggling Cal defense gave up 570 yards in total offense …

… and three more defenders went down with injuries … LB Jalen Jefferson and CBs Joel Willis and Stefan McClure …

… McClure’s knee injury is going to cause him to miss the rest of the season …

… the Bears’ offense once again got off to a slow start, allowing the Cougars to open up a 14-0 first quarter lead …

… and for the 3rd time in 5 games, Cal never led.

…

… and  NO LIGHTS …

… the Bears self-destructed again, going -4 in turnovers …

… Cal fumbled 3 times and lost them all, while Goff threw two interceptions …

… while WSU had no fumbles and threw only one interception …

… two of the Bears’ fumbles came as they were close to scoring … once at the Cougars’ 5 and once at the 2.

…

… GAME REPORTS …

… stats and additional photos are available on ESPN:

http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?id=332780025

… and the official Cal Bears website:

http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30100&ATCLID=209277240.

…

… NEXT UP …

… tomorrow, the 1-4 Bears travel to Southern California to meet their 4th Top 25 opponent in 6 games, the #11/13, 4-0 UCLA Bruins …

… the Baby Bears will be looking for revenge for the 42-17 beat down administered by Cal last year at Memorial Stadium …

… and enter the game as 23 point favorites.

…

Cal now ranks 4th in the country in passing offense (402.6 ypg), but 106th in rushing offense (113.0 ypg), 78th in scoring (27.7 ppg) and a dreadful 125th in scoring defense (45.0 ppg) …

… while UCLA is 5th in scoring (48.0 ppg), 14th in rushing offense (259.8 ypg), 21st in passing offense (302.0 ypg) and 30th in scoring defense (20.3 ppg) …

… so predicting a Cal win is difficult, but a reversal of fortune in the turn-over battle could give the Golden Bears a shot at an upset.

…

… MORE PHOTOS …

Cal v. WSU — Leading the Bears Onto the Field

Cal v. WSU — Color Guard

Cal v. WSU — QB Jared Goff Beats the Pass Rush

Cal v. WSU — QB Jared Goff Passed for a Record 504 Yards

Cal v. WSU — HB Daniel Lasco Sweeps Left

Cal v. WSU — HB Daniel Lasco Breaks Free

Cal v. WSU — K Vincenzo D’Amato Hits Another Field Goal

Cal v. WSU — Bears on Defense

Cal v. WSU — Bears Defending Against the Pass

Cal v. WSU — DB Isaac Lapite on Defense

Cal v. WSU — Brendan Bigelow Returns a Kickoff

Cal v. WSU — Bryce Treggs Cuts on Kickoff Return

Cal v. WSU — P Cole Leininger Boots One

#1 Son Douglas Reilly with College Roommate Brian Watkins and his son Tyler

Final Score: WSU 44 — Cal 22

All Photos in this blog © 2013 Jim Reilly

Cal @ Oregon … a Duck Deluge …

…

… after a bye week last Saturday, the Cal Bears were back in action tonight in Eugene against the Oregon Ducks …

… unlike the metaphorical  thunder and  lightning  of the Ohio State game, most of tonight’s game was played in a literal driving rain storm …

… unfortunately for the Bears, though, the result was very similar to the previous game …

… as Cal fumbled the ball away on each of its first four possessions (2 by QB Jared Goff and 1 each by HBs Brendan Bigelow & Khalfani Muhammad), while running just 12 plays …

… and the Ducks capitalized on three of the fumbles for touchdowns to lead 20-0 halfway through the first quarter …

… after which the points continued raining  down almost as heavily as the precipitation …

… a Cal punt and a turnover on downs each led to another Oregon touchdown and a 34-0 deficit for the Bears …

… and then some of that lightning  struck again, as Oregon punt returner Bralon Addison splished & splashed 75 yards for another touchdown and a 41-0 Ducks lead …

… before the Bears managed a 46 yard field goal by K Vince D’Amato on the final play of the first half to make the score 41-3 as the teams took refuge in their locker rooms.

…

In the second half, Oregon’s punt returner Addison had a second PR TD … 67 yards this time …

… and a 25 yard touchdown run made the score 55-3 just five minutes into the third quarter …

… after which the Ducks took pity, playing reserves most of the rest of the game …

… while Cal scored a couple of times on a 1 yard run by HB Jeffrey Coprich …

… and a 7 yard pass from QB Zach Kline to WR James Grisom …

… to make the final score 55-16.

…

The stats make the game sound closer than it really was …

… as the Ducks had 381 yards in total offense and 21 first downs to 325 and 20 for the Bears …

… though most of Cal’s yardage was gained against Oregon reserves.

…

Kline, brought in early because Goff could not handle the ball in the rain, saw his first action of the season.

…

Because the Pac-12 and DirecTV have still not reached an agreement for broadcasting the Pac-12 Network, I was not able to watch most of this game …

… caught the first 20 minutes while having dinner at Phyllis’ Giant Hamburgers …

… and listened to the rest of the game on the radio …

… very frustrating, to say the least …

… let’s get a TV deal done, guys!

…

Obviously, since I was not at the game, I have no photos to include this week …

… but some game photos, as well as a game report, stats and video, are available on the ESPN Cal Bears page:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/_/id/25/california-golden-bears

… and while a game report, stats and post-game quotes are on the official Cal Bears website:

http://www.calbears.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30100&SPID=126513&SPSID=749425

… there are, for unknown reasons, no photos there this week.

…

Next week, the now Bears (1-3) return to Memorial Stadium …

… at 1:00 pm Saturday to host the Washington State Cougars (3-2).

Cal v. Ohio State … thunder … and lightning …

…

… unfortunately for the Bears, all of the thunder and most of the lightning were produced by the Buckeyes …

Buckeyes

…

… the LIGHTNING …

… came first on Ohio State‘s second play from scrimmage …

… after a Bears punt and illegal block penalty during the return pinned the Buckeyes at their own 6 yard line …

… a 4 yard gain gave OSU a 2nd & 6 at their own 10 …

… from which QB Kenny Guiton found WR Chris Fields streaking behind the Bears secondary and hit him in stride for a 90 yard touchdown (the longest TD pass in Buckeyes history) …

… after another Cal punt, Ohio State had the ball at its own 27, from which HB Dontre Wilson thundered 26 yards to the Cal 47 …

… and then lightning struck again, Guiton hitting WR Devin Smith for a 47 yard touchdown and a 14-0 Buckeyes lead …

… the entire possession lasted just 26 seconds …

… and then just a minute later, Ohio State‘s Ryan Shazier sacked Cal QB Jared Goff, forcing a fumble at the Bears‘ 23 yard line, recovered by OSU…

. … and then lightning struck a third time, Guiton driving his team to yet another score on a 1 yard pass to Fields …

… making the score 21-0 exactly 6:00 into the game …

Cal Defending Against Pass

…

… & the Thunder …

… the Buckeyes ran for 332 yards to just 132 for the Bears…

… with OSU‘s Jordan Hall gashing the defense 30 times for 168 yards, 36 long and 3 TD’s …

… and after Cal closed that disastrous 21-0 start to 24-14 at the end of the first quarter and was hanging tough down 31-20 at halftime …

… the Buckeyes thundered to three straight 3rd quarter TDs on drives of 75, 80 and 41 yards …

… two of the scores coming on runs of 1 and 2 yards by Hall …

… while the Bears managed just one score and fell behind 52-27 …

… before scoring one rather meaningless 4th quarter touchdown on a 1 yard run by HB Daniel Lasco to make the final score 52-34…

Cal Defending Against Run

…

… a Few Bright Spots …

… another strong game by QB Jared Goff, who was 31 of 53 passing for 371 yards, 3 TDs and 1 interception…

Jared Goff Passing

… the return of HB Daniel Lasco, who led the Bears in rushing with 65 yards on 10 carries …

… a big game for WR Chris Harper, who had 6 receptions for 115 yards and a TD …

… some gutsy calls by the coaching staff, including a fake punt on which Goff took the punter’s position and passed for a first down to DB Stefan McClure …

… and the fact that, despite the early adversity, the team never gave up…

…

… Next Up …

… a bye next week …

… followed by Cal‘s first road game of the year, as the Bears travel to Eugene, OR, on September 28th to take on their second straight top 3 team, meeting the #2 ranked Oregon Ducks…

… the Bears lead the all-time series with the Ducks 39-34-2 …

… but the Quackers have won the last four meetings, three of them by lopsided scores …

… and the Bears have recorded only 1 win in Eugene in the last 25 years (31-24 in 2007), while losing 9 times …

…

… Predictions … 

… the Bears‘ defense is plagued by injuries, with several key starters missing, a converted wide receiver playing at cornerback and a true freshman at safety …

… which could prove to be a real problem against the high-powered Oregon offense, which rolled to a 59-14 against the previously unbeaten Tennessee Volunteers…

… the 3-0 Ducks won their first two games by even bigger margins, stomping Nicholls State 66-3 and Virginia 59-10 …

… and are early 34 point favorites over the Bears …

… which, sadly, is probably about right …

… even though Jared Goff will have another strong game leading the Cal offense and passing for 300+ yards for the 4th game in a row …

… barring an Oregon letdown or several Ducks turnovers, it seems unlikely that the Bears‘ defense can hold the Ducks under 50 points …

… so the Bears and their fans appear to be in for a long afternoon.

_______________________________________________

For the Cal game report, stats, photos and interviews, see:

http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30100&ATCLID=209260525

… and for the ESPN College Football recap, photos & game video, see:

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=332570025

________________________________________________

More Photos:

Cal Band Leading Team Onto Field

Cal Band Drum Major

Go Bears!

Jared Goff Calling Signals

Brendan Bigelow Run

Bears on Defense

Cal Cheerleaders Exhort Fans

Final Score: Ohio State 52 — Cal 34

All Photos in this blog © 2013 Jim Reilly

Cal v. Portland State … Waxing … & Waning …

.

… Waxing …

… QB Jared Goff had another excellent outing against the Portland State Vikings …

… passing for 485 yards (exceeded in Cal history only by Pat Barnes‘ 503 yards in a 1996 4 overtime game against Arizona) and 2 touchdowns …

Jared Goff Passing

… and running for another …

… ten different Bears had receptions, with WR Bryce Treggs leading the way with 8 catches for 121 yards …

Bryce Treggs Reception

… WR Maurice Harris had just one catch for 10 yards … but …

… it was a leaping, one-handed grab for a touchdown that earned Harris the #1 “Play of the Day” on tonight’s ESPN SportsCenter …

… see it here:  http://gif.mocksession.com/2013/09/harris-one-hand-td-catch/ …

… WR Richard Rodgers had 4 receptions for 100 yards, including a 75 yard touchdown catch …

… and another true freshman, HB Khalfani Muhammad, led the Bears in total yardage, rushing for 73 yards on 13 carries and grabbing 4 passes for 85, to give him 158 yards in total offense …

Khalfani Muhammad

… the Bears ran 95 plays, racking up 616 yards in total offense and 31 first downs, while scoring 37 points …

… the Cal offense, which will only improve over the next three years — Goff & Muhammad are true freshmen … Treggs, Harris, WR Chris Harper & HB Daniel Lasco are all sophomores … and Rodgers & HB Brendan Bigelow are juniors …

Jared Goff & Brendan Bigelow

… all of which is enough to make Cal fans salivate …

… and …

… Waning…

… the entire defense, which gave up 30 points, 553 yards in total offense and 21 first downs …

… Portland State had 434 yards and 17 first downs in the first half …

First Half Stats

… the secondary, which was hampered by the loss of S Avery Sebastian, who had achilles tendon surgery this week and is out for the year …

… on the second play after the opening kickoff, Portland State burned the Cal secondary for an 81 yard touchdown pass …

… and the Cal run defense, which was gashed for 245 yards rushing on 39 carries by Portland State …

Cal Defense

… that’s 6.3 yards per carry …

… which won’t cut it against Ohio State next week …

… or Oregon in three weeks.

.

Next Up …

… the Ohio State Buckeyes …

… who come to Berkeley riding a 14 game winning streak and ranked #3 in the country …

… and who finished the 2012 season undefeated at 12-0, including a 35-28 win over the Bears in a game that Cal could (and probably should) have won …

.

Predictions:  Reluctantly …

… unless the defense steps it up significantly against the Buckeyes, this year’s game will not be as close …

… so, a win over Ohio State seems unlikely …

… even if Goff can pass for more than 400 yards for a third game in a row, which also seems unlikely.

______________________________

.

For the Cal game report, stats, photos and interviews, see:

http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30100&ATCLID=209254798

.

For Brendan Bigelow’s great 81 yard touchdown run last year against Ohio State, see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03xc-xf68bc

.

More photos:

California Banner

California Alumni Band Pregame Performance

Give Me a “C”

Color Guard

“… and the home of the BEARS!”

Cal Band Great!

Cal Student Section

Jared Goff Launches One Deep

Darren Ervin Kickoff Return

Brendan Bigelow Run

Bears Win 37-30

All Photos in this blog © 2013 Jim Reilly

Cal v. Northwestern … the Good … the Bad … and the Ugly.

.

… the GOOD …

… QB Jared Goff, first true freshman ever to start for the Bears on opening day, proved he can play football at the college level …

…38 of 63 for 445 yards, 2 touchdowns, 3 interceptions and 4 sacks …

… 445 yards was Cal’s highest passing total ever in a non-overtime game and second highest period …

… it was also the 38th highest passing total in the entire history of the Pac-12 …

… and was more yards than was ever thrown for by such Pac-12 QB luminaries as John Elway (‘Furd), Troy Aikman (UCLA) and Andrew Luck (‘Furd) …

… WR Bryce Treggs had 13 receptions for 145 yards …

… the 3rd highest game reception total in Cal history, behind only Geoff McArthur’s 16 in the 2003 Big Game and Dameane Douglas‘ 15 against Oregon State in 1998 …

… WR Chris Harper, who had 11 receptions for 151 yards, 52 yard long & 2 TDs …

… the no huddle, up tempo Bear Raid offense proved effective and was efficiently run by Goff …

… the team ran 99 plays, third highest in team history, behind 102 v. San Jose State in 1968 and 101 v. San Jose State in 1990 …

… the Bears ran 30 plays in the third quarter …

… P Cole Leininger, 6 punts, 43.5 yard average, 70 long and 3 inside the 20 …

… K Vincenzo D’Amato, 3 of 3 in field goal attempts (28, 38 & 37 yards) …

… Harper, Leininger & D’Amato were named national honorable mention performers of the week Monday by the College Football Performance Awards …

… new Head Coach Sonny Dykes, who had the balls to run a fake field goal at the end of Cal’s first possession, on which D’Amato threw a touchdown pass to holder WR Jackson Bouza …

…

Pregame Welcome to new Head Coach

…

… the BAD …

… obviously, the score, being on the wrong end of 44-30 …

… the defense giving up too many yards rushing (209 on 40 carries for Northwestern, a 5.2 yard average) …

… and too many yards passing (299 on just 19 completions, a 15.7 yard average) …

… and too many third down pass completions for first downs …

… K Vincenzo D’Amato kicking two kickoffs out of bounds, giving Northwestern the ball at the 35 each time …

… too many penalties (10 for 79 yards) …

…

… and the UGLY …

… not one but two tipped passes ending up the hands of Northwestern LB Collin Ellis, each of which he returned for a touchdown (56 yards in the 3rd quarter and 40 yards in the 4th) …

… the 4th Quarter roughing the passer penalty called on LB Chris McCain, which was also called “targeting” and resulted in his disqualification for the rest of this game and the first half next week …

… after watching this play on DVR yesterday, it looked to me like a clean hit, head up and into the chest of the quarterback, with McCain already into the tackle when the ball was thrown …

… the new targeting rule, by the way, prohibits initiating contact with the crown of the helmet …

… and targeting and initiating contact with the head or neck area of a defenseless opponent …

… and McCain’s tackle did not appear to do either …

… on the other hand, McCain’s conduct as he left the field was unacceptable.

.

Next Up …

… Portland State at 2:00 pm on Satuday at Memorial Stadium …

… which some pessimists predicted would be Cal’s only win this year …

… Portland State won its season opener 57-17 over Eastern Oregon …

… but look to be over-matched against the Bears …

… Predictions:  Cal wins by 30 points and Zach Kline gets some playing time at QB.

__________________________________________

For Cal game report, stats, photos and interviews, see:

http://www.calbears.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=30100&SPID=126513&SPSID=749425

.

Cal Bears 2013 …

…

… you heard it first here …

… Cal’s football team will upset Northwestern in the season opener …

… if he doesn’t reinjure himself, running back Brendan Bigelow will be the Pac-12‘s leading rusher and will get Heisman Trophy consideration …

… Zach Kline will win and hold onto the starting QB job …

… Cal’s defense will rebound from last year’s difficulties and will help the Bears be competitive in most games, if not all, this year …

… contrary to the expectations of most “experts”, the Bears will win at least six games and will go bowling …

… the new Bears logo will be a hit …

Cal Bears 2013 Logo

… new head coach Sonny Dykes …

Cal Bears Head Coach Sonny Dykes

… will win the Pac-12 Coach of the Year award …

… and will make us forget the disaster of 2012 …

… and Doug …

The Pessimist

… The Pessimist … will disagree with most of what I’ve said here!

2008 California Golden Bears — “Every Game Counts”

.

See the California Golden Bears 2008 Season Promo here:

http://steamvault.cachefly.net/cal/fb/everygamems.swf